Justin Tranter has had a hand in crafting some of the most recognizable songs on the radio. Now, they’ve added podcasting to their impressive discography with the “Unfamous” podcast, which centers on iconic collaborations across all pop culture mediums.
The inspiration came to the songwriter behind hits like “Good Luck, Babe!” and “Cake by the Ocean” after hosting the Grammys pre-telecast two years in a row, thanks to a suggestion from friend and co-creator/producer Morgan Stewart.
“I sort of am an expert on collaboration, and certainly I am really curious about other types of collaboration,” Tranter told TheWrap. “So, of course there’s lots of music people on the podcast already, with more to come, but that’s why we also had Caleb Hearon and Trixie Mattel. We have some really amazing makeup artists coming, people dealing with executives in TV. I’m actually learning a lot as I go.”
“It comes very naturally to me to talk. I think that’s what makes me such a great co-writer. I personally don’t believe in writer’s block, because if you can have a conversation, you can always find a song,” they added. “We all have different superpowers, but my superpower 100% is conversation; being able to move everyone to the end goal in a really comfortable, natural way. What I’m most surprised about now that I’m podcasting is that I’m a better listener than I thought.”
Since its launch on March 4, “Unfamous” has also welcomed on artists like Troye Sivan, Leland, Ink, Caitie Delaney, Amy Allen, Melanie Martinez and King Princess. And after a career spent working with celebs like Britney Spears, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Kesha, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Demi Lovato, Dua Lipa, Bea Miller, Katseye and Chappell Roan, just to name a few, Tranter is not quite shocked by the rise of podcasts.
“Everyone loves to talk about, ‘Oh, attention spans are being destroyed.’ And that’s probably true. But for people who do want long-form content and long-form conversations, podcasts are the best way to go. You’re still getting served as much content as a random f–king TikTok — there’s 10 new podcasts a day, thousands –so it gives you that instant gratification of social media, but it’s longer form and more in depth,” they explained. “I’m not surprised to see it get so massive, but if you had said, ‘Do you think podcasting is going to be super important to Spotify and Apple?’ I don’t think I would have seen that coming. I would have thought they would live in separate places.”
And while the guests may be experts in their respective fields, Tranter will always be happy to talk about what they know best.
“The craft of songwriting is my favorite thing in the world. I know what makes a great song: It’s that magical X factor that just shows up that no one can plan for, but I know what it is when it shows up, I know what it feels like. Then, does it hit all of the structure things that it needs to hit to reach the masses?” they said. “Pre-Covid or pre-TikTok, since they happened pretty much at the same time, I was able to go: I know this song is great, this artist is big enough, the label is going to make this a single, it’s going to be a hit … In a post-TikTok world, it doesn’t matter. It’s: Is the artist going to post enough?”
However, Tranter also acknowledged that singers and songwriters have had to successfully navigate evolving terrains in the past.
“Musicians always had to be really good at promotion. There’s this amazing video you can watch on YouTube of Madonna at the New Music Seminar in the early ’80s — [the other panelists] were like, ‘We’re not actors. We shouldn’t have to make videos. F–k this.’ And she’s like, ‘Well, I think it’s fabulous and I think it’s art. I get to talk to my fans in a different way now,’” they pointed out. “So there’s always been a version of this. If anything’s drastically changed, it’s that the labels have lost a lot of power. Before, if they knew that the artist was big enough and they knew the song was great, they could just get radio to play that motherf–ker enough until the world heard it. Now, you gotta pray your artist is posting online.”
Ultimately, Tranter just wants to collab with an even bigger audience than the one they’ve reached through their music.
“My goal was to create something that felt interesting enough that people that I work with would start asking me to come on, and that’s already happening,” they concluded. “Hopefully it’s entertaining, but I think if anyone who’s trying to learn how to collaborate — whether it’s at your corporate job, whether it’s on a piece of art or sometimes your corporate job is dealing with art — I want to help create conversations that might give people insight on how to navigate their art or their job better.”
“Unfamous” is available to stream wherever you get your podcasts.
